Double cone mixing machines



June 25, 1963 w. SMALLEY 3,

DOUBLE com: MIXING MACHINES Filed June 5, 1958 lNvENToR WI LL\AM sM ALLEY BY A'r'roRNEY United States Patent William Smalley, Gloucester, England, assignor to Wm.

Gardner & Sons (Gloucester) Limited, Gloucester, England Filed June 3, 1958, Ser. No. 739,549 Claims. (Cl. 259-82) This invention relates to double cone mixing machines, and more particularly to machines having two substantially conical portions arranged oppositely, with their bases facing towards one another, and mounted for rotation about an axis at right angles to the common axis of the conical portions.

Such double cone mixing machines are commonly employed for the mixing of dry powders, such as colors, dyes, resins, pharmaceutical products, fertilizers, flour and food products, or granular materials, such as grain, mixing of the materials being obtained by the combined rolling and folding motions of the material as it falls from one cone to the other during the rotation of the drum. The rolling and folding motions result from the conical shaping of the drum, each particle of the material following a difierent trajectory during the drum rotation which ensures rapid and eflicient blending of the particles.

According to the present invention the drum of a double cone mixing machine adapted to be rotated about an axis at right angles to the common axis of the two cones during a mixing operation is provided with a deflector element extending substantially across the drum at an angle less than a right angle to the rotation axis of the drum. The blending of the materials achieved by the mixer is improved and the mixing time materially reduced, particularly in the case of very fine materials.

The deflector element is arranged across only the widest portion, that is the central part, of the drum. The drum preferably comprises not only two substantially conical portions but also a central substantially cylindrical portion and the deflector element extends substantially diametrically across said central portion only and may be of somewhat smaller width than the axial length of such central portion.

If, as may sometimes happen, the double cone mixing machine is provided with a through shaft for the rotation of the drum, the deflector element may be formed with a suitable elongated or substantially elliptical slot intermediate its ends to permit passage of the shaft through the deflector element. The latter may be arranged at approximately 45 to the rotation axis.

One embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the double cone mixing machine illustrating the deflector element of the invention in dotted lines,

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation of the machine illustrated in FIGURE 1 but with the drum rotated until the discharge orifice faces forwards, and

FIGURE 3 is a showing of the device of the type illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 with a shaft type drum supporting means and with the drum rotated 180 relative to its position in FIG. 2.

My double cone mixing machine consists of a drum e H 3,095,185 Patented June 25, 1963 2 comprising two similar substantially frusto-conical portions 11, 12 oppositely arranged one above and the other below a relatively short cylindrical portion 13 of the same diameter as the bases of the conical portions. The deflector element 14 is in the form of a strip or plate of a width a less than the axial length b of the central portion, such strip or plate being welded or otherwise secured at its ends 14a, 14b to the inner wall of the central portion so that the plate extends diametrically of the latter. The width of the strip or plate 14 may be of the full axial length of the central portion 13, or even greater, as may be found most eflicient for the intended use. The central portion may be provided with two aligned stub shafts 15, 16 defining a rotation axis 0 for the drum.

The axially arranged opening 17 formed by the truncation of the conical portion 11 is adapted to be closed by a closure plate 18 capable of being clamped in position, such opening 17 serving as the inlet orifice of the drum 10, while the co-axial opening 19 formed at the end of the other conical portion 12 is of somewhat smaller dimensions and is closed by a lever operated valve 20 to form the discharge orifice. The machine comprises hearing supports 21, 22 for the ends of the stub shafts 15, 16 projecting from the drum 10. One of such bearing sup ports 22, may have an electric motor 23 bolted thereto which drives the respective drum shaft 16 through reduction gearing arranged in a gearcase 24 between such bearing support and the adjacent side of the drum.

The plate 14 is preferably arranged at an angle of approximately 45 to the rotation axis c defined by the stub shafts 15, 16.

In operation the drum 10 of the machine is filled to approximately 60% of its total capacity. This improvement in admixture is achieved by the deflector 14 which serves to effect interchange of the particles diagonally and diametrically of the drum during the rotation of the latter, the material being caused to flow over the deflector 14, diagonally of the drum cross-section, first in one direction and then in the other, as shown by the arrows in FIGURES 2 and 3.

The machine may be provided with a through shaft for the rotation of the drum 10, as indicated at 15, 25, 16. The strip or plate 14 is formed with an elongated or substantially elliptical slot to permit passage of the shaft 25 therethrough.

I claim:

1. A mixing machine comprising a drum having generally frnsto-conical terminal portions the axes of which are aligned, means for mounting the drum for rotation about an axis at right angles to said aligned axes, and a deflector element of flat plate-like form extending transversely across the drum in a direction which makes an angle less than a right angle with said axis of rotation.

2. A mixing machine according to claim 1, wherein said drum has an intermediate generally cylindrical portion interconnecting said terminal portions and coaxial therewith, and said deflector element extends substantially diametrically across said intermediate portion.

3. A mixing machine comprising a drum having two oppositely disposed substantially conical end portions, said drum being mounted for rotation about a rotational axis at right angles to the common axis of said end portions, and a deflector element of plate-like form extending substantially across a mid-region of the drum and inclined to said rotational axis at an angle less than a right angle. '4. A mixing machine according to claim 3, wherein said drum has a coaxial generally cylindrical intermediate portion interconnecting said end portions, and the deflector element extends diametrically across said cylindrical portion and is of somewhat smaller width than the axial length of the latter.

5. A mixing machine according to claim 4, wherein said deflector element is a substantially rectangular flat plate inclined to said rotational axis at an angle of approximately 45.

References Cited in the file of this patent U l ED STATES PATENTS Saladee Jan. 12, 1969 Bishop 5 Oct. 25, 1921 Clark Dec. 29, 1936' Evans June 30, 1942 Longenecker Oct. 21 ,1952 \Schaefer June 15, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS v 7 France of 1921 France May 3, 1948 Great Britain Of 1958 i 

1. A MIXING MACHINE COMPRISING A DRUM HAVING GENERALLY FRUSTO-CONICAL TERMINAL PORTIONS THE AXES OF WHICH ARE ALIGNED, MEANS FOR MOUNTING THE DRUM FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID ALIGNED AXES, AND A DEFLECTOR ELEMENT OF FLAT PLATE-LIKE FORM EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY ACROSS THE DRUM IN A DIRECTION WHICH MAKES AN ANGLE LESS THAN A RIGHT ANGLE WITH SAID AXIS OF ROTATION. 